(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera which electronically records an image of an object using an image pickup device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and more particularly to an electronic camera having an image pickup unit which is capable of free rotation around the camera body.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An electronic camera includes an image pickup device such as a color CCD instead of a film to take a picture of an object. The image of an object is converted into electric signals, which are recorded in a memory device. The electronic camera may be a video camera having a memory device composed of a magnetic tape or may be a digital camera having a memory device composed of an IC (Integrated Circuit) memory or a floppy disk.
In recent years, electronic cameras have emerged with a freely rotating image pickup unit having an optical lens system and an image pickup device attached to the electronic camera body.
Such electronic cameras have an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor as a viewfinder at the back of the body and allow a user to rotate the image pickup unit to a certain position so the user can take a picture of oneself while viewing the LCD monitor.
However, the lens surface can be easily scratched due to impurities such as dust. A conventional camera includes a lens cover in front of the lens for its protection and the user can open or close the lens cover depending on whether the camera is in use or not.
The above mentioned lens cover is usually a lens cap that is placed or removed manually by a user. The inconvenience of manually removing a lens cap often forces a user to carry the camera without the cap on the lens, which causes scratches on the surface of the camera lens.
In view of the drawbacks described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera having a lens cover for an image pickup unit that prevents scratches on the lens surface.
The present invention provides a camera with a body, a freely rotating image pickup unit including an optical lens system and an image pickup device, a lens cover, and a lens cover driving mechanism that drives the lens cover to open while the image pickup unit rotates from an unused position in one direction within a predetermined range and that drives the lens cover to close while the image pickup unit rotates in the other direction within a predetermined range.